It appears, however, that a regional office has reached a new low: Management for Region 8 in Denver, Colo., wrote an email earlier this year to all staff in the area pleading with them to stop inappropriate bathroom behavior, including defecating in the hallway.

In the email, obtained by Government Executive, Deputy Regional Administrator Howard Cantor mentioned “several incidents” in the building, including clogging the toilets with paper towels and “an individual placing feces in the hallway” outside the restroom.

Confounded by what to make of this occurrence, EPA management “consulted” with workplace violence “national expert” John Nicoletti, who said that hallway feces is in fact a health and safety risk. He added the behavior was “very dangerous” and the individuals responsible would “probably escalate” their actions.

Presumably, these incidents reflect a combination of mental illness, graft, and laziness. Any very large workforce (the EPA employs over 17,000 people) is likely to have some of this sort of thing, although hallway defecation is something I’ve happily not yet encountered in my career.

I can’t help but speculate, however, that some of this is hostility towards the recent employment climate. Years of pay freezes, hiring freezes, sequestration, shutdowns, threats of shutdowns, and budget cuts are certainly creating a strain within the federal workforce. Yes, they’re in a better position than those in the private sector, who’ve taken a big hit since the 2008 meltdown. But there’s nonetheless an undercurrent of resentment, sometimes not all that well disguised.

Still—and I can’t emphasize this enough—there’s no call for pooping in the hallway.

In any sane work environment, such conduct would be grounds for immediate firing. But I have no doubt that should be Mad Pooper be identified, his or her union will fight tooth and nail for them keeping their job.

I can’t help but speculate, however, that some of this is hostility towards the recent employment climate. Years of pay freezes, hiring freezes, sequestration, shutdowns, threats of shutdowns, and budget cuts are certainly creating a strain within the federal workforce.

Sheesh, if it’s that bad, they are free to find other jobs. Those jobs won’t have the same benefits and job security, most likely, but they won’t have those concerns.

@John Peabody: Bastard, you made me laugh out loud with that one… and made me flash back to the Mythbusters actually doing just that.

This office wasn’t in Ypsilanti, Michigan, was it? Because they recently had a rash of midnight defecations on playground equipment in local parks. There were so many incidents that the cops advertised on a billboard, pleading for help catching the pooper, I mean perpetrator.

In the email, obtained by Government Executive, Deputy Regional Administrator Howard Cantor mentioned “several incidents” in the building, including clogging the toilets with paper towels and “an individual placing feces in the hallway” outside the restroom.

Doesn’t this s*** happen in many offices across the country? People (employees) often misuse restrooms, waste supplies, inadvertently clog toilets, etc. Why would government offices be any different? Except for the “an individual placing feces in the hallway” – most of that has happened in some of the places I’ve worked – not often, but it has happened.

We had a case like this at the international organisation where I worked. Female staff were complaining that someone was regularly using the toilet without raising the lid. After a while, it was decided to have a member of the cleaning staff hang around and check after every “visit”. Eventually the poopetrator was identified; it was someone who had been in dispute with HR over a job assignment or promotion matter. Her comment was, “The organisation is s****ing on me, so I’m going to s*** right back on them”. She ended up in therapy.